The Royal Palace Amsterdam is one of the most famous buildings in the capital of the Netherlands. In 2009 more rooms opened to the public after extensive restoration and renovation of the interior. Many rooms can be visited from the building that was designed and built as the Town Hall of Amsterdam, later converted into a Palace. Visitors walk on the first floor, with the imposing Citizens’ Hall, the Mayor Departure, the Alderman Hall, the Vroedschapskamer. Magnificent halls used today for official events of the Dutch Royal House. Paintings by famous artists such as Ferdinand Bol and Govaert Flinck and sculpture of the Antwerp sculptor Artus Quellinus refer symbolically to the power and wealth of the city of Amsterdam in the Dutch Golden Age. On the ground floor is the Vierschaar opened, the marble room where – in the Town Hall period – death sentences were handed down in front of people.
The Royal Palace Amsterdam has the largest collection of Empire furniture outside France. After his departure, Louis Napoleon left almost all expensive furniture behind. The furniture, one of the best preserved and most complete Empire collections in the world, is in full glory to be seen.
Temporary exhibitions held every summer highlight different aspects of the buildings’ history. In the autumn, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix presents the Royal Awards for Painting to talented young artists, whose work is subsequently exhibited for public viewing.
